Last weekend, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced the August 21 Federal Election. Media enquiries to the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference will inevitably come thick and fast for the next month, all asking the same sorts of questions. “Which

I have a picture of Kevin Rudd in my work planner. Admittedly, I do not own a Kevin 07 T-shirt and I am not overly impressed at his political record. No, my reason for the picture is more cautionary.
As Rudd's popularity plummeted and Labor's

It was under the ‘Peace of Rome’ that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified. Having largely viewed the crucifixion of Jesus for so long through the diverse narrow lenses of pious and morbid devotion, theological justification, and iconography,

Last week, I was exposed to a rich vein in the Catholic Church when I was asked to help facilitate the annual National Catholic Lay Movements meeting at Mary MacKillop Place in North Sydney.
As I looked before the meeting through the list of

As the director of the Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (ACMRO), I spend my days working in the area of pastoral care of migrants and refugees. This isn’t solely confined to saying mass for these communities; it is a 24/7 job which

I joined the Sisters of St Joseph in the sixties, along with forty nine others in my year. And yes, I wore the ‘old’ full habit for a short period – and loved wearing it! Some years later when our uniform had changed to a

Friday last began like any other day. My day started, as usual, around 5.30 when I got myself together to hurry up and wait. That's what I do, while the editor-in-chief of CathNews and the news editor sift through potential stories and devise the news and

In late May 1453 the great city of Constantinople was taken by the Ottoman Turks. This marked the end of the great Christian Byzantine Empire founded by Constantine over a thousand years before. During this time the New Byzantium flourished as a political

Pope Benedict has criticised scientism and the awful influence it has on the world today. Scientism has two aspects. The first aspect is the theoretical notion that only scientific doctrine and method can lead to truth. The second is the practical handing

What a bonanza – an election campaign for a first-time blogger!
I have the impression that many of my fellow citizens view the election process with some distrust and indifference. People suffering poverty and injustice cannot be blamed for

When I was a child growing up in Brisbane, I thought Adelaide was the epitome of style and glamour. That was thanks to the fact that my aunt and uncle lived there, in a low-slung bungalow with an unusual amenity for those times – a double garage. And